M.I.A.'s problems with Roc Nation began after they were taken under the wing of Universal Music Group, earlier in 2013. According to MTV, her album Matangi was supposed to be released in late 2012, but ended up being held all year. Because of the delay, she decide to release her first single 'Bring the Noize' independently.

After a clip to her Matangi documentary was leaked, the label pulled it offline claiming copyright infringement. The singer took to Twitter at the time, saying she had been "blacklisted through normal channels" and told her fans to "put your middle fingers up."

The singer claimed she was told her album was "too positive" to be released on Roc Nation.

"I thought I'd finished it. I finished it and then I handed the record in, like, a couple of months ago," M.I.A. told MTV back in January 2013. "At the moment, I've been told it's too positive. So we're having a bit of an issue at the label. It's like 'We just built you up as the public enemy number 1, and now you're coming out with all this positive stuff."

M.I.A. was named one of Time's 100 Most Influential People back in 2009